Boredom and Other Gods of Death
by Hopedruid
Summary: Boredom is a deadly poison. A Death Note AU.
1. Chapter 1

Depression

Wake up. Have breakfast. Get ready. Go to school. Come home. Watch the news. Study. Have dinner. Study some more. Spend time trying to sate boredom with the few, trival teenage things he had time for. Fail. Go to bed.

It was always the same cycle. It was so maddening. By the time he was in his third year of High school it stopped even being frustrating.

His world was grey. Always grey. So lifeless and static he could hardly breathe. His sister and mother and father and friends all seemed to enjoy

life and have passions. All he had was a plastered on smile, more false even then the illusions of freedom and individuality.

Nothing good was ever going to happen for Light Yagami. He had known it long before he had accepted it. Now he simply had to repeat life, in its endless routine with superficial variation, until the day death would take him.

He felt tired all the time. He never used to feel that way. He never used to have to force himself to choke down breakfast, lunch and dinner. He never used to have to prick himself with needles to feel something. Life had always been boring, far to easy for him, but he used to have hope that it could get better.

But it wasn't getting better and it never would. The part of him that was "unique" or "special" would fade behind "Yagami Raito" the hardworking polite, perfect, honor student. Society acted like a machine and he was going to be the best little machine he could. Because as awful as he felt, it would feel even worse to let his family down, to know the true shame and humiliation of having everyone see exactly who he was on the inside. Deep down, he knew no one could love the real him.

Light was trapped in hell, he was sure of it. No one was meant to be as smart as he was. His intelligence was some kind of curse, setting him far apart from society and making him more and more lonely every day.

He was trapped in a superficial society of shallow people and hedonists.

Light had his path already laid out for him, he would join the NPA and become a Detective. Judging by the work he had already done as a consultant, he would be the smartest and most talented Detective there. He likely could balance his work with further education and he could go far using the intelligence and charm he had been given.

Some days Light thought there would be something of interest there. It was a hope, an escape, finally, his life could have challenge and interest and color.

After all the dozen or so cases he had worked on had been interesting enough. Maybe that was what he was born to do.

And some days Light thought that was a joke. Joining the NPA might help him for a while. Give him some challenges, actual goals to put his mind towards that weren't trivially easy.

It wouldn't last. Eventually, his work would become routine. The NPA would just be another prison. He could never truly make any real difference.

He should have died younger. When he had hope and before he learned how meaningless everything was. Duty and obligation were just as meaningless as entertainment and hedonism. He was living in a rotten world with rotten people, and he himself was rotten. Worse then anyone else.

"Raito? Is something the matter dear?" Sachiko asked. It took Light a second to realize where he was. He was at dinner, his food was untouched and she was asking him a question.

A moment of panic. She could find out how weak he was, if he let her.

"Nothing Mom. I just had a long day is all." Light said, giving her an effortless practiced smile.

"Oh. Well honey you haven't touched your food. You know you need good nutrition to power that wonderful brain of yours." Sachiko chided.

"Of course." Light said, and began chocking down his dinner. His mother's cooking was wonderful. He didn't taste any of it.

Light studied after dinner. Played video games, watched a bit of tv, read. He went to bed bored, crying phantom tears. Not because he was sad but because he was hollow.

The next day he had a chance encounter in Aoyama that would change his life forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Light was in Aoyama, trying to clear his head. Yesterday had been a particularly bad day, and today wasn't shaping up much better. Getting out and getting some fresh air and sunlight didn't really help much,

but it was a bit better than staying in his room on a day like this. Usually, his room was a refuge, but in the mood, he was in it would only fill him with dark thoughts. Aoyama wasn't a bad place to look around all things considered.

Light was a true fan of aesthetics, looking at pretty things was often a bit of an escape for him, much like tennis had been. With art and fashion, as with sports, Light could apply his intelligence in a way that was slightly off from academics.

It was far too easy for Light to absorb information and regurgitate it, and he often hopelessly outclassed anyone who would try to challenge him in those fields. Sports, while intelligence could help, was far more about reflexes and the physical realm, which was a refreshing break from the world of the mind. Art was subjective and relayed upon creativity, things that made Light slightly uncomfortable. Which, when his problem was being entirely too comfortable with everything, ironically proved to be a great comfort to him. The fact that things could be a struggle or that there was something he didn't quite get...was so refreshing it had saved him a number of times.

Yet at his core, he knew these were only dalliances and not actual hobbies or, gods help him, careers. He had a duty after all. He was the honor student son of Soichiro Yagami. Certain things were expected of him.

That was when he saw her. A girl crying on a bench. The first thing he noticed about her was her hair. It was a dazzling, and certainly synthetic blonde. He instantly felt a hundred negative stereotypes flit through his mind.

She was either an idol or an idol wannabe, some western fashioned obsessed girl, or a ditzy slut. Those were, in the view of society anyway, the only reasons a Japanese girl would want to dye her hair blonde. Light was not precisely interested in whether what society said was true. It was the matter of appearances.

Speaking of which, the girl was wearing gothic lolita garb, looked quite beautiful and was alone. All of these put together made her a bit of a mystery. A puzzle. Why would she be in a place like this crying? Why isn't there anyone to comfort her? He tried to arrange everything he thought he could deduce about her from a glance and make it into one solid picture but...he couldn't.

His eyes lit up. A challenge at last. He supposed he shouldn't get too excited though. The answer was likely to be mundane. Still, he had nothing better to do. Asking couldn't hurt.

"Hey there. You seem to be in distress Miss. Is there anything I can do for you?" Light said putting on a gentle, charming smile.

"H-huh? A-are you talking to m-me?" The woman said, still blubbering.

"Yes, of course, you numbskull. Who else around here is crying?" A voice spoke in Light's head. He chose to ignore it.

"Yes. Excuse me for intruding but I couldn't help but notice that you were crying." Light said.

"Y-yeah I am...but th-there is nothing you can do about it. Nothing anyone c-can do about it." She said, still choking out some sobs.

"Well, I could at least listen to your troubles. Then even if something can't be done at least it might make you feel a bit better to get your problems off your chest." Light said, asking with his hands if he could sit down which the woman confirmed with a nod.

"W-well you s-see. My p-parent's d-d-died." Misa stuttered. That was semi-unusual, Light thought, but unlikely to be really exceptional.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that." Light said, mostly because it was expected of him. He couldn't bring himself to empathize completely with this girl. He felt numb.

"B-but it wasn't just that they d-died. They-they were m-murdered." She said and burst into fresh tears as soon as she finished her sentence. Light Yagami felt a rush of excitement like he was alive again.

"Murdered? That's terrible. I'm sorry." Light said.

"I..I was there when it happened. I really wish I wasn't. I-I can hardly sleep anymore. But I saw who did it. And I told everyone." She said.

"That's good. He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law then. Eyewitness testimony is highly valued." Light said.

"B-b-but I did tell the Cops! It's been months and they still haven't found him!" She exclaimed.

"You were able to tell them a complete description?" Light asked.

"Yes! I did! I am really good with faces. I never forget anyone I've met before." She said.

"And they still were unable to catch him?" Light asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, he hasn't used his credit card or anything and he wasn't anywhere near his home once they had a warrant." the girl said.

"Hm. He might have a friend on the force. Or his criminal buddies are well informed." Light said.

"I...I just don't know what to do anymore." She said.

"...What's your name." Light asked.

"Misa. Misa Amane." Misa said.

"Ah. I thought you looked familiar. Your that Idol." Light said.

"Yep. That's me...in the miserable flesh." She said, smiling a bit through tears.

"My name is Raito. Raito Yagami. And I think I can help you." Light said.

"R-really? How?" Misa asked.

"My father is Souchiro Yagami, and he has pull within the police. I myself am a bit of an amateur detective, hoping to one day follow in my father's footsteps. I could help catch this murderer." Light said.

"Y-you would? Really? I don't even know you." Misa said.

"Well, you do now. Here, stand up. Let's get a bite to eat." Light said offering Misa a hand. She took it gladly.

The two teenagers spent some time discussing their lives. They exchanged phone numbers and eventually went their separate ways, vowing to meet again soon and discuss their plans for the investigation. Light felt like the heavy weight on his shoulders had been lightened somewhat. It was a strange feeling. But it had been the greatest day in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

"...Your sure, you've told me everything about the crime." Light said, lounging back in his seat. He was at a cafe, enough distance away from his house that he was unlikely to be seen by anyone from school or any of his families friends, but not too out of the way that he couldn't get home at a reasonable time. It was about a week after he had meet Misa and she had been calling him pretty much every day after he got out from school.

It was annoying, but also convenient. He didn't want to appear overeager. Letting her think that she was the driving force behind this kept things much simpler. Light didn't want to look like some creep that was obsessed with the puzzle of it all.

Even though he very much was.

He had set up the meeting on a Sunday, which would give him the time needed to go over everything with Miss Amane. He had given his mother the excuse of going to study at the library. Which she seemed to buy quite easily.

"Y-yeah. Everything I can remember anyway." Misa said she looked a tad frustrated. Which was no surprise. What account she did give was fragmented. If not for her detailed description of the culprit, she would have been completely useless in solving this crime.

"Don't worry, you've been a big help. Without you, the police wouldn't have had any idea where to look." Light said, stirring his coffee calmly with his spoon. That was a testament more to the police's absolute inadequacy then anything. An idiot could have connected the dots between her family and the culprit. But they didn't even bother looking into her family history since they had the description. If one of the detectives, a man named Shuichi Aizawa, hadn't looked into the tattoo, the NPA would likely not have gotten anywhere.

"S-So do you know anything? About the man who...killed them." Misa asked. Light took a short sip of his coffee.

"Yes. I do." Light said.

"G-great! What is it?" Misa asked.

"Well, according to my father, the culprit is a man named Haji Suzuki. He's a member of a crime syndicate, a local Yakuza chapter that has been starting to spread it's wings. Their called the Spider." Light said. He hadn't talked to his father at all of course. He simply hacked into the police files.

"T-that's why...the tattoo-" Misa said, realizing. Good. She wasn't entirely clueless. The tatoo was an image of a spiderweb. For him, the spiderweb was on his left forearm. However the Spiderweb could be drawn anywhere. All that mattered was that you had one.

"Exactly." Light said.

"W-well then if they know his name and know about the gang...why haven't they found him?" Misa asked.

"The police aren't sure where the Spider is basing itself out of. Thing is, crimes all over Japan have been attributed to the Spider, and the Yakuza clans seem terrified of them." Light said.

"So these guys...must be really tough," Misa said.

"Yeah. It doesn't entirely make sense. The Spider used to simply be a regional chapter of the Yakuza with no real power, and then all of a sudden it becomes powerful enough to challenge the top clans apparently overnight. It's a complete mystery." Light said. It was absolutely fascinating. How did they do it?

"So what are we going to do? If the police can't find them...and the Yakuza are scared of them...how do we deal with them?" Misa said. Light took another sip, and set down his coffee.

"That's simple. We outsmart them." Light said.

"H-how do we do that?" Misa asked.

"I know what they want. And with your permisson I believe I can set up a sting." Light said. Then he began to outline the plan.

When Light stood up to leave Misa embraced him.

"Thank you so much Raito-kun! Your the best!" Misa said.

"That's fine. There's no reason to..." Light said but he trailed off. No reason to what? Hug me? Thank me? Call me Raito-kun? Before he could think of something, she let go.

"You're a lifesaver." Misa said and bounded off. Light felt an odd chill run down the back of his spine. But it made no matter. He would find out what the Spider was and how they got so powerful. He needed to.

As he left the cafe, he felt like he was being watched. But it was probably nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

Of course getting in contact with the Spider was difficult. Light had anticipated that much. Still, no matter how many offers he fielded on the dark web, he got no credible contact back from someone claiming to be a Spider. It was frustrating, but it also was encouraging. The Spider was careful, they wouldn't be easily conquered.

Light was going to have to take more drastic action. The plan was going to have to be altered somewhat. It was a bit riskier, doing it without having contacted the Spider.

Still, he thought he could get away with it.

Light dialed the phone number.

"Misa. It's time." Light said.

"O-ok. I'll do what you asked." Misa said.

"Good girl. We'll avenge your family soon enough. And I'll keep you safe." Light said and closed his cellphone.

Time to work some magic.

The next day Light went through his normal routine. To the outside world, Light Yagami was acting as he always would. Polite, calm, composed. The perfect friend, son, neighbor, classmate, student. Though perhaps he was a bit more cheerful. His eyes seeming to light up more. Quicker to laugh or flash that gorgeous smile than usual.

It was a normal Yagami Dinner. They ate with the TV on. Light eating with a bit more relish it seemed.

"You're in a good mood today." Sayu said.

"I suppose I am." Light said. He had a purpose now. Justice. The goal he was born for.

"Got a girlfriend?" Sayu asked with a smile in her voice.

"Not really." Light said. He was surprised himself how nonchalant he was about this. Usually, this constant pestering about his romantic life was annoying. However with Misa in his life...it didn't seem such a stretch that one day they would become attached.

"That's not a no..." Sayu said.

"Sayu don't tease your brother." His mother said.

"No, it's fine. I have a friend that...I think I might be fond of." Light said.

"Really that's great-" His mother started but he didn't hear the rest. The news was on.

"Breaking news: Famous pop star and model Misa Amane has been abducted from her home. Police reports say a strange ransom letter was sent directly to NPA Headquarters. They believe that it has something to do with organized crime. We shall relay more information as it is passed onto us." The news anchor said.

Light grew pale and his hands trembled.

"...May I be excused." Light said, his voice wracked with emotion.

"Why? What's wrong honey?" Sachiko asked.

"...I feel a little sick all of a sudden." Light said. Sayu looked from the tv to Light, a question on her face.

"Do you need anything?" Sachiko asked.

"No. I'm sure I will be fine in a bit. I just need a bit of rest." Light said and stood up and began walking, robotically to his room.

"Well, I hope you feel better." Sachiko said. Then her voice disappeared as Light closed and locked his door.

He began trembling, his body convulsing lightly. Overcome with an emotion he couldn't help but let spill over. Bursting forth in a low roar.

Light was laughing faintly.

"Everything is going exactly how I planned." Light said with a smile. His father's absence said a lot. He was busy figuring out this new riddle. The one he left for them.

For his next move he was going to send the Spiders a message they couldn't ignore.


	5. Chapter 5

Soichiro Yagami sighed.

"Let's go over the situation again. From the beginning. Matsuda." He said. His voice strong and authoritative.

"U-uh yes Chief. Uh let's see here. The girl-" Matsuda started.

"Misa Amane." Ide said.

"Y-yes. Misa Amane, the famous pop idol, went missing from her home two nights ago. According to her neighbors, nobody spotted a thing or noticed anything unusual." Matsuda said.

"What was the state of her home?" Soichiro asked.

"It was all messed up. Like there was some sort of a struggle or perhaps a search. But there was no sign of any blood and no unusual fingerprints." Matsuda said.

"What about the note we found?" Ide said.

"I-I was just getting to that. It was a note written using magazine cut outs."Matsuda said.

"Theoretical and a bit old fashioned. What did the note say." Soichiro asked.

"Oh well, it said, "To the Foolish NPA. You understand nothing and have failed in everything. I have the girl now. She is ensnared in the Spider's web as a meal. Unless you give us 500,000 yen, we will consume her. You have 4 days. Leave the money inside Misa Amane's home. We will retrieve it and then deliver her to you. Sincerely, The Spider." Matsuda read.

"God damn it. We should have assigned officers to her." Ukita said.

"We kept her in protective custody for as long as we could. We couldn't do this for her entire life. It is our failure that resulted in her being captured. Our failure to arrest the culprit and destroy the Spider." Sochiro Yagami said.

"Uh...Chief...what exactly do we know about the Spider?" Matsuda asked.

"There are a small Yakuza clan. Or at least they were. Mostly they were involved with prostitution and drugs around Kanto. Suddenly now they seem to be everywhere and for some reason, none of the main Yakuza families will touch them. There are also rumors...linking them to the occult." Aizawa said.

"The occult?" Matsuda said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Don't be an idiot. That's probably just to give them a more sinister air. The occult is just a bunch of superstitious nonsense." Ide said.

"No. It's real." Mogi said, his voice steady, even, matter of fact. It took people off guard.

"...Regardless, very little is known about the Spider, except that they have an aura of menace even to the most powerful crime families around. We need to proceed with caution." Sochiro said.

A knock on the door and a young man opened the door.

"Chief Yagami-san. Their's something on the news, I think you should see." The young detective said.

"Aizawa." Soichiro said and Aizawa turned on the tv.

"...The note found in Misa Amane's home reads like this, "To the Foolish NPA. You understand nothing and have failed in everything. I have the girl now. She is ensnared in the Spider's web as a meal. Unless you give us 500,000 yen, we will consume her. You have 4 days. Leave the money inside Misa Amane's home. We will retrieve it and then deliver her to you. Sincerely, The Spider." Our research states that the Spider is a local crime organization involved in drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and the like. Currently, this notes authenticity has yet to be 100% verified. As always, we will report any news as it comes in." The reporter said.

"God damn it." Aizawa said, under his breath.

"That...that was exactly the note. How did the media get a hold of it?" Matsuda asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ide said.

"It seems we have a leak." Aizawa said.

"That cannot be verified yet. It's possible that the Spider sent this message to the media themselves." Sochiro said.

"But why would they do that? What could they possibly gain?" Ukita asked.

"I'm not sure. Regardless, the media has become a more important factor in this case. It was always going to be necessary to deal with them, but now especially when dealing with a young woman of her celebrity. However, it seems either our advisories in the Spider or someone within the NPA wants to keep the media on the same page as us. As they used the media. So must we." Sochiro said.

"But how do we do that Chief? Chief?" Matsuda asked. Sochiro stared at the tv, his face set in the stern mask he usually wore.

"After today. We only have two days left." Sochiro said.

"Huh?" Matsuda asked.

"Matsuda, contact the Media. Any network you can. Hell even get web bloggers. I'm calling a press conference, and I want all eyes on it." Sochiro said. His voice more determined and animated then it had been all day. Matsuda couldn't help but smile.

"On it Chief!" Matsuda and began pulling up the numbers of the press contacts he had.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Europe. A young man, thin and long-limbed, lay sitting in an unusual position on the floor of his hotel room. He was looking at a laptop computer. He bit off the head of a gummy bear as he stared, wide eyes gazing at a media website.

"Misa Amane huh...interesting." He said, before eating the rest of the gummy. His left hand grabbed towards another but then he stopped in his tracks.

"The Spider? Could be..." He said, putting his thumb up against his lips. Then he stopped, picked up the remote next to him and turned on the tv.

He watched the press conference of a NPA Chief with a look of fascination on his eyes.

"Detective Yagami...is it? Well then. I'll be watching your progress." He said. Things had been getting boring in his chosen profession. A bit stale. Easy. But suddenly things were starting to heat up again.

Maybe Chief Yagami and his conflict against the Spider might provide him with something interesting to watch. In any case he sincerely hoped Yagami won. Misa Amane was a true talent.

And he had always appreciated talented people.


	6. Chapter 6

It was safe to say he was feeling pretty smug. Light had successfully managed to "make Misa disappear" for almost 48 hours now. A public figure. Yes, it did help that Misa Amane was a good actress and a master of disguise, but he was the one who formulated the plan. He told Misa to mess up her room thoroughly, escape through the window and check into a nearby hotel. He was also the one who told her to use Magazine letters to craft a ransom note and then dispose of the evidence.

Light was also the one who delivered the ransom note to the media by using the police databases photos and descriptions of it as proof. The media wouldn't want to waste a contact on the force who was willing to give them information on the Misa Amane case. This would attract a lot of eyes. Give them some ratings.

Humans could be quite disgusting. And in their disgustingness, easy to anticipate.

Light had continued to act quite shaken since the announcement of Misa Amane's disappearance. And so it was with him appearing as a shaken and distressed Raito Yagami, that Light witnessed the dinner and a show that was Soichiro Yagami's press conference.

"Hold on. Dad's on TV!" Sayu had shouted. She had been the first to notice, so caught up had Light been in acting and in gloating internally.

"A press conference...Dad doesn't usually-" Light said and then he caught a good look at the screen. Soichiro Yagami was all business. And all of the media's eyes were on him. This was...excessive. And Soichiro Yagami didn't do excessive. Something about this was...wrong. And it set his teeth on edge.

"As you may have presumed, this press conference has been called concerning the abduction of Misa Amane-san. I am here to deliver a message directly to the alleged kidnappers. The Spider." Soichiro Yagami said.

He was addressing the kidnappers directly? In the media? Why would he do that? Light was perplexed. His father was an exceptionally cautious man and a young woman's life was on

the line.

"We have no evidence to even determine whether or not Misa Amane-san has been kidnapped. Given this, unless you provide proof that Misa Amane-san is alive, well and in your possession, the police are not open to negotiation." Soichiro said.

That was fine, Light had no intentions on negotiating. At least not with the police.

"In addition, we will be re-examining the crime scene extensivly to determine if their are scenes this may have been faked." Sochiro added.

That didn't make sense unless...

Of course. His father suspected that Misa had set this up to further her career. He was trying to scare her into coming forward on her own.

But that meant...his next move was...?!

"We will also be searching this city extensively. Combing the entire city. Let it be known that you can't escape. Unless we are given reason to believe that Misa's life is in danger. That is all." Soichiro Yagami said, and he left without another word.

Light stood up imminently.

"I'm sorry mother, but may I be excused." Light said.

"Certainly but... you're not feeling sick again are you?" Sachiko said.

"No. Just tired. I think I want to get to bed early tonight." Light said.

"Ok...but-" Sachiko said but Light was already moving to his room.

As soon as his door was closed he was texting Misa.

"Don't move. I'm on my way." Light sent. And he was out the window just as fast.

"That was quite an elegant move." An old man said to the young man in Europe. Right now they were in a small white room, the young man sitting in an unusual way on a couch and the old man sitting next to him. They were watching Japanese news. Which was still focused on the Misa Amane case, though they still had no new information after last nights press conference.

"Yes, if the Spider did capture her, they will be pressured to prove it. In doing so, they may reveal some hint that will be vital in apprehending them. If it was faked-" The young man said.

"Then Misa Amane and/or her "captors" will feel pressured to come forward right away." The old man said.

"Precisely. It isn't a perfect move though. Though it is quite close." The young man said.

"Indeed? Why is that?" The old man asked.

"Surely you must have seen it. It relies on the culprit to make a mistake." The young man said.

"Of course. You see everything yet again." The old man said with a pleasant smile. He was brimming with pride for this young man whom he considered his son.

"Could you brew me a cup of tea? I would appreciate it greatly." The young man said, not looking up from the TV. His eyes focused intently and his thumb practically attached to his lips.

"Of course." The old man said, and got up. Truly, there wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for the young man.


	7. Chapter 7

Light made it to Misa's hotel in record time. He had memorized the quickest route to it, in case of this eventuality. He hadn't seriously considered that he would need to do this. He had thought the NPA would be paralyzed and would stop thinking. However, it looked like his father was more proactive then he presumed. Soichiro had guessed that this was a ploy and not a real kidnapping. It was probably because of his note to the media. It was necessary, but it tipped his hand too much. Light should have planned for the NPA realizing this. Underestimating them might utterly destroy his plan.

Light marched directly towards Misa's room. This place wasn't wealthy enough to have cameras all over the place, but it wasn't a roach motel either. Still, Light trod carefully. Fast enough to avoid being seen too closely by any potential guests but not fast enough too look to suspicious. He knocked three times on the door, his signal, and Misa opened up.

"Raito! it's so good to see yo-" Misa said, Light quickly pushed past her.

"Misa, we don't have a lot of time." Light said.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Misa asked.

"Haven't you seen the news?" Light said.

"N-no. Why? Did something happen?" Misa said. A small voice growled in the back of his head. Kill this bitch, she's a liability. Bash her over the head and toss her in the river. That'll get the Spider's attention and throw off the police.

"Yes." Light said. He wouldn't take that voices advice, of course not, but it didn't mean she wasn't annoying.

"What is it?" Misa asked.

"My father suspects this was a faked kidnapping, so he is going to send his taskforce to all the nearby hotels and investigate them thoroughly. We can't be here when they arrive." Light said.

"B-but where can I go then?" Misa asked.

"There is only one place, on such short notice. Come with me." Light said, grabbing her by the hand.

"R-Raito? Wh-where are we going. Hey!" Misa said.

"Quiet. Just follow my lead." Light said, dragging her down the hallways. He knew he had very little time. This was going to be a race. It was all going to come down to how skilled he was and how fast and through the NPA's net was.

Sayu Yagami walked to her brother's door. She checks the knob. Unlocked. She took a breath. She wasn't sure what she was going to find in here and it might be her brother, whether sleeping or awake. If she was caught, she'd need to come up with an excuse. But she was pretty sure she could wing that. Sayu opened the door and stepped through.

There was no one there. Light had left. Probably through the window. And he had forgotten to lock his door, which was a really rookie move and unlike Light. She just hoped that whatever Light was involved with, wasn't dangerous, she left and went back to her room. Sayu was going to have to keep a closer eye on Light.

Mogi arrived at the hotel. Soichiro had commanded the task force to split up and investigate all the hotels nearby in concentric circles. Mogi drew this one. He wasn't particularly hopeful about finding anything. After all this wasn't a fancy hotel, just middle of the road. If she picked it out herself, you would think she would have gone ritzier, and if it was kidnappers or "kidnappers" they would likely go cheap.

Mogi walked up to the reception desk. At the front is an old man, a bit balding, with a grin that seemed a bit fake.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" The old man said.

"Detective Mogi, NPA." Mogi said gruffly holding up his badge.

"Ah. I see. What's going on, Detective?" The old man asked.

"Have you seen a young woman that looks like this?" Mogi asked, showing him the photo of Misa Amane. He barely glanced at it.

"Can't say that I have." He said

"Are you sure?" Mogi asked. The old man gave another glance.

"Positive. I would remember a girl like her." He said.

"...I'm going to need to see your book of check-ins." Mogi said.

"Is that really nesscarry detective." The old man asked. Mogi got a strange feeling all of a sudden. Like he was missing something. Or like he was onto something.

"Yes." Mogi said, and stared the Old Man down, he sighed and got out his book. It was a heavy looking thing.

"Now let me just find my recent check-ins..." He said. Mogi then heard the door open and quickly close. Mogi glanced in the direction of the door, but saw nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

Light Yagami was walking down the street, hoodie up, with a girl with black hair, red contact lenses and glasses. Nothing suspicious about that right? Whatever, right now, with a detective working for his father so close by, the need was more to not be seen as opposed to seeming unsuspicious. As soon as he was on public transport, he'd ditch the hood.

"Raito-kun...that man was a detective right? So he must work for your father?" Misa said.

"Yes. He does." Light said.

"He was close to finding us. Which means that all of this would have..." Misa began.

"Come to nothing. It would have also probably damaged your career and if I was found out to be connected...it would be bad for me too." Light said. He didn't even want to imagine what his father would say. How disappointed his face would look. And it would damage his chances at being a detective.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for getting you involved in this." Misa said.

"It's fine. It's not your fault. I made the wrong move that's all." Light said.

"Wrong move?" She asked.

"It was a miscalculation. I underestimated the NPA. That won't happen again." Light said. They were walking swiftly. He needed to catch his ride.

"So this is...a bit like a game?" Misa said. She didn't sound judgemental. Just genuinely curious.

"...In how I approach it, I suppose. It's a bit like... three-way chess." Light said. That's what he had been visualizing this as. Light Yagami on one end, Soichiro Yagami on another, The Spider lurking somewhere in the shadows.

"Three-way chess?" Misa said.

"Yes. I make a move. The NPA and the Spider respond. I make a response to that move and so on. Eventually one of us wins. The NPA's goal is to find you and defeat the Spider. The Spider's Goal is to find you for their own purposes. And ours is...to defeat the Spider and force the NPA to resign." Light said.

"Resign?" Misa asked.

"Stop looking for us. Close the investigation down. If we defeat the Spider, then I have a plan to bring you back without arousing too much suspicion." Light said.

This was exciting. Finally a challenge. A game where he had something to lose. A situation where he could imagine himself losing if he wasn't careful. He felt, alive. Maybe for the first time in his life. They entered the subway and Light took his hood off. He just needed to get Misa to a safe spot. Then he could resolve all of this.

The grunt had been watching the news carefully. The note hitting the media, the press conference. All of these were insults to their reputation. They couldn't simply be taken lying down. But it wasn't really his place to say...

Then again his masters weren't ones to pay much attention to the news. It might be risky, but it would be riskier if they found out that he knew and hadn't told them. He got up from his couch and walked. He needed to take this directly to the boss. He rapped his knuckles on the door and waited.

Silence meant that he could enter and silence is what he received. He walked in.

The room was completely dark, but he saw his master there. Sitting in shadow, looking at a chessboard thoughtfully.

"Yes. Make it quick. As you can see I am in an important game with a very good friend of mine." The master said, gesturing to thin air across from him. His master was using the white pieces.

"Ah...yes of course I was just uh...wondering if you saw the news." The grunt said.

"Something of interest was on the news?" His master said. He sounded a bit curious, but it was hard to tell.

"Yes...Misa Amane was taken, and a note was left saying we were responsible. And that we wanted a ransom from the police." The grunt said.

"A ransom? We do not do such things for money." The master said. His voice seeming dismissive, almost bored.

"And the police said it might be a faked kidnapping. And wanted proof of her capture and life." The grunt said. The Master just looked at his pieces. And then finally moved one.

"Ah. Well then. These are both grave insults. We must react in some way...how about...?" The master said and then clapped his hands.

"Inform the Captains. Tell them, this: Find ten people in Tokyo and kill them according to the Rite of Ten. Make sure that the police find them quickly. That should make things interesting." The master said.

"Ok. But what about the kidnapper? The one claiming to be us?" The grunt said.

"I'll deal with them in time. Don't worry about it." The master said. The grunt complied. There was little else he could due. The masters will was absolute.

And whoever this kidnapper was...they would soon be facing his utter cruelty.


	9. Chapter 9

Light didn't relax after they got off the subway. He flinched everytime a car drove past them. And he didn't mind so much when Misa got close. Misa was enjoying this game too. For the first time in a while, Misa didn't feel lonely.

"We're here." Light said. His voice sounded serious. It gave Misa a pleasant shudder.

"Where is this?" She asked. They were in front of what looked like a typical upper middle-class household.

"It's my home. You'll be staying in my room." Light said.

"In...your...room?" Misa said.

"Yes." Light said.

"Oh...I see." Misa said. She was nervous about all this. Light was a gentleman of course, and would never do something bad to her. But still...she was going to be in a boy's room. Alone with him. She bit her lip a bit. With both excitement and nerves.

"I'll climb up first. Lower something that you can climb." Light said.

"Climb?" Misa echoed.

"Climb. I can't risk you being seen. It's possible my mother knows I left. Or my sister. And might be waiting up. If that's the case, we can't afford for you to be seen by them. Even if they don't recognize you, it will look suspicious." Light said.

"I...I see." Misa said. She watched Light as he climbed up the wall, in sheer amazement. He was athletic sure, but the way he was able to find non-obvious footholds was extraordinary. The window was already a bit open, and he was able to force it open that little bit more he needed with his one free hand. Then he crawled in.

A couple minutes later Light had assembled a rope made out of bedsheets and lowered it down for her. She climbed, but it took her a while, she wasn't nearly as athletic as Light.

Which made her think: What do I really offer him? I'm not as smart as him. And I'm not athletic. What can I do to help him?

"Th-thank you." Misa said, as Light gave her a hand pulling her into his room.

"No problem." Light said, not making direct eye contact.

"You can sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the chair." Light said, as he went to the door and locked it. Light cursed his momentary stupidity. Anyone could have come in and seen he was gone. He had to remember to never panic.

"O-Ok. Are you sure?" Misa said.

"Of course." Light said, again not directly looking at her. With that decided they took their places. Light didn't sleep until a bit later. He had to decide his next moves.

Soichiro Yagami stayed up late coordinating his team. It turned out nobody had discovered anybody at any hotel and the Spider had yet to respond to his demands. This plot might be blowing up in his face. If this ploy resulted in the death of Misa Amane, it would be a stain on his conscience and the death of his career. But he was confident that this had to be the way forward. It didn't make sense for The Spider to send such a message. They never had before.

Then he got a call.

"Soichiro Yagami. NPA Chief." He said.

"Ah yes...you know, you might want to screen your calls in the future. All sorts of suspicious characters could end up calling." A raspy voice said.

"Who is this?" Soichiro asked.

"No one to be concerned with. Merely a concerned citizen." The voice said.

"I see. What exactly are your concerns?" Soichiro said. He wanted to keep him on the line for as long as possible.

"The amount of...trash that is littering this beautiful city. This beautiful country. This beautiful world." The voice said.

"What the hell are you on about?" Soichiro said. The sound of this man's voice was disturbing him. And he didn't have time to play games. Ideally, he would get him to give something away as quickly as possible.

"...You'll see soon detective. I would say...how about you start by checking Misa Amane-san's apartment. You might find something interesting there." The voice said.

"What are you-?!" Soichiro began.

"Farewell, Detective." The voice said and hung up. Soichiro very nearly threw his phone across the room. But he couldn't. He had to keep his composure. He sent out a message to his task force. Those closest to Misa Amane's apartment should go there. All nearby squad cars should also blockade the building. The task force members would head in with a couple officers for back up.

It seemed the Spider had finally made their response.


	10. Chapter 10

Matsuda hadn't been trusted with much. Mostly he had just been getting Soichiro coffee. He was on the way home though and he had been passing by when the call went out. So he decided to head to Misa Amane's place. A couple squad cars were there and Mogi was standing outside, a cigarette in his mouth.

"H-hey Mogi-san! You got here fast too huh?" Matsuda said. Mogi looked up impassively and took his cigarette out and deposited it in the nearby

trash can.

"Y-you still had a lot left of that." Matsuda said.

"...We should head up." Mogi said, and nodded at a couple of nearby officers.

"O-ok! Yeah that makes sense." Matsuda said. He followed Mogi and the other three officers into the apartment. Misa Amane lived on the third floor. The elevator ride was quick but the tense aura filled even ever cheerful Matsuda with anxiety. What could the Kidnapper place there? If it really was the Spider then it was bound to be something creepy.

As they walk the hallway of the third floor, Matsuda realizes that this whole place feels eerie. Maybe it's just that it's night, just the feeling in the air. Or perhaps it's this whole situation, but Matsuda felt like he had suddenly descended into some haunted house.

"You look tense kid." Said one of the officers. It was an older man with a kindly face. He was plump, and just a short minute before he had been wearing a look as tense as any of the others. But now he was offering a friendly smile. He's doing it for my benefit, Matsuda thought with some shame.

"Ah ha...yeah. I don't get a chance to get out of the office much." Matsuda said. He had been given this job because of his family, he knew that. But Soichiro Yagami had seen something in him, a hard work ethic and a sense of morality that most such "family hires" didn't have. He was sure he'd never be allowed in such a task force if the Chief didn't have some faith in him.

Still, though, he didn't have much experience.

"It'll be fine kid. I'm sure it's just a scare tactic." The kindly officer said.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Said the female officer. She didn't look much older then Matsuda, and she had a cool, vaguely androgynous beauty to her. Matsuda had seen her around the station sometimes, and had developed a bit of a crush on her.

"Don't scare the kid, Sakamoto. And Toji, don't take him off his game either." The third officer said. He looked to be between the age of Sakamoto and Toji and he had a thin, greasy look to him.

"...That's contradictory." Sakamoto said, her face forming into a frown.

"I like balance. It's why I like you so much, Sakamoto." The third officer responded, with a greasy smile. It was clear, even to Matsuda, that he was referring to the fact that Sakamoto was neither particularly top or bottom heavy. Matsuda clenched a fist. He really didn't like that guy.

"You talk to much, Okada." Toji said.

"We're here." Mogi said. Which shut everyone up.

Everyone adopted their game face. Even Okada's greasy smile dropped a bit.

"Nightsticks at the ready. We move on 3." Mogi said. They all grabbed their blunt weapon. Though Okada was also fingering his taser.

1

2

3

Mogi broke the door down.

The room was a nightmare.

In the entryway lay the two guards assigned to the room, one with neck wounds that suggested a strangling. The other with a slit throat. There was a blood trail to the center of the living room, where the corpse of a woman lay, in the midst of a ritual circle of candles. She was disemboweled, entrails hanging out, a pentagram drawn beneath her. Her face was contorted in an expression of agony and horror. Her eyes...

Matsuda ran to the hallway to empty his guts on the floor. This was too much. Too horrible. Who could even do something like this?

Light slept fitfully. His dreams were filled with eyes. Probing, examining, curious, invasive eyes, looking down at him from all around. Dreams weren't real. They weren't anything more then the subconscious processing the daily thoughts and images one had in one's mind. But he felt violated in some way.

"It's time for you to wake up." Light said, standing over Misa.

"...But I'm tired. What time is it...?" Misa said.

"...You're at my home. We are evading police detection." Light said.

"O-Oh! Th-that's right." Misa said, finally opening her eyes.

"Hide in my closet. I'll check the news, then I'll go downstairs for breakfast. After that...I'll have to take you somewhere else." Light said. He felt strangely like he wasn't entirely present. He supposed that was from lack of sleep. He made for the tv.

"W-where? Where will you take me Raito-kun?" Misa said. She could only see his back, from where he was standing.

"...Somewhere safe. Now in the closet." He said. Misa slipped out of Light's bed, made her way to the closet and slowly closed the door. Light waited for her to be safely inside before he turned on the tv.

"...The NPA reports that they have confirmed that it is the mysterious organization known as The Spider that has taken young Misa Amane. They wish to assure the public that they are taking every precaution to ensure that Misa Amane-san is brought home safely. And now for sports-" the anchor said.

Light quickly turned on his computer and went to the dark web. There, in a forum listed, "connections" he found this.

"To a young Spider: We appreciated the gift you sent us. So we sent you a gift. Let's meet soon. Let's say...in the place where this began? Sincerely, Father Spider."

Light's heart was beating out of his chest. He smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

The place where it began, clearly, was Misa Amane's family home. Light Yagami wore a hoodie, and brought Misa, complete in her disguise.

"Do-do I have to go in?" Misa asked. She still had traumatic memories of the event. A hidden part of Light growled, again, Light ignored this. Human beings are bound to have unethical thoughts or feelings, but one must work to push those down.

"You don't. But if you don't then we won't be able to pursue justice to it's end. You want to vanquish the Spider right? To make sure that nothing like what happened to your parents happens to anyone else?" Light asked.

"Uh huh." Misa said, nodding her head. The two approached, and Light opens the door.

Inside was a man in a longcoat. He is bald, with a series of scars across his face. When he sees the two, he grins.

"Th-that's him." Misa whispered, tensing up. It was the man who killed her family. And he seemed to be alone. Light hadn't been expecting this, but it looked like things were going better than anticipated.

"So you did get my message." The man said.

"Of course. I've brought the girl." Light said.

"Hm...I see that. Good disguise, but she isn't all bound up." The man said, eyeing her.

"Too indiscrete. Besides, I have a better method of controlling her. Isn't that right Miss Amane?" Light said. Misa shuddered in fear and flinched.

"Ha ha ha. Good, I like you already kid. So, I'll thank you kindly if you hand her over." The man said.

"Will do, but I'll need something more then your thanks in exchange." Light said.

"Oh? And what's that?" The man said, still looking rather amused.

"Entry into the Spider." Light said. The man's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Ha ha. Well, well. A bold choice. What exactly makes you think I'd let you enter such an exclusive organization. You look pretty damn young." The man said.

"I am fairly young yes, but I was able to capture Misa Amane, and fool the media and the police into thinking the Spider was behind it. I also have the skill to hack into the police database. I could prove to be a considerable asset to your organization. Especially with some more training." Light said.

"Ha ha ha. I like your spunk kid." He said and then moved a bit closer. Light and Misa retreated a step back

"Thing is though, and I would love to take you up on your offer, but I can't." He said.

"Why not?" Light asked gruffly.

"Because, I made a major error by letting Amane-san go. And I need to correct that error." He said.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Light said.

"She's got some information in her head. Stuff that I can't let slip." He said. Light didn't like this. He autodialed emergency services, on the phone he kept in his hoodie pocket.

"I'd really appreciate if you got to your point." Light said.

"Oh, I am. See, I can't risk you knowing what she has in her head. Nor can I risk the Spider figuring out I brought you here, so..." Then he took out a knife.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Light said. Had to stall. Had to stall.

"Killing you. And the girl. Nothing personal kid. It's to ensure my survival. The only way." He said. He didn't look particularly sorry.

"Can't I offer you anything for our safety?" Light said.

"Hm..." The man said putting the knife against his chin as if deep in thought.

"Nah. There's no other way I can gurrantee my safety. I work for some pretty merciless masters." He said, and then he lunged at Light.

Thankfully, Light had spent a long time in self defense training, and had taken up martial arts here and there. He retaliated with a hard right hook, catching the man across the chin.

"Ha. Ha. Not bad for a kid. Might make a half decent fighter in a couple years. Too bad I couldn't train you up." He said and slashed at Light. Again and again but Light just barely managed to avoid it. His movements were fairly fast but also somewhat predictable, and he kept leaving open options to escape. Light wasn't sure why this would be, but he was currently to preoccupied to give it much thought.

Another missed slash and the man actually stumbled, giving Light plenty of time to punch the man hard across the nose. Light heard a satisfying crunch and felt warm liquid spray across his drew back, keeping his knife in his hand.

Then he laughed.

"Ah gods damn kid. You throw a hell of a punch, and you're quicker then I thought. Damn, I shouldn't have drank before I came here. The gods are on your side kid. But not for-" Then he groaned and collapsed, writhing in agony.

Standing above him was Misa, looking a combination of pissed as hell, and pretty damn scared.

"That's for my parents you asshole!" Misa said, and then proceeded to stomp on him, hard and fast with her heels. The man continued to let out pathetic moans as she rained blows upon him.

"Stupid! Asshole! Prick! You killed my parents and you tried to kill my friend! I! Hate! You!" She said. Light was...taken aback by this display. She hadn't shown any rage to him before. Just grief towards her parents death, and frustration at the fact that he was still out there. Not blind, homicidal rage.

It was...kinda hot.

Then Light heard something. The man was making a low sound. At first, it wasn't identifiable to Light but then...

A chill ran down his spine.

It was laughter.

Before Misa knew it she had been deposited on her butt, and the man was above her holding his knife.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Not bad. For a little girl. Your first shot was the only one that hurt more then a little though. And it jeopardized my family legacy. So, I'm afraid I'll have to show no mercy when I kill. You were going to just get a slash across the neck. Now I'll stab you in the stomach. Takes a lot longer to die from that. And I'll watch every second." He said with a wide smile on his face.

Misa began scooting backwards in fear. Light reached for a nearby lamp, grabbed it and moved towards the man, quickly but carefully. He intended to bash him across the back of his head.

Light stopped suddenly. He felt a cold rush, as if something was watching them. As if something was in with them. Another presence besides Light, Misa and the goon.

But the big man went down. Clutching his chest and making a strange gurgling sound.

"What...the hell?" Light asked. Something, strange had happened. He knew that. To Light it seemed like something revelatory, as if a man had just appeared, cast a spell and announced himself a wizard.

But that was insane. A man just suffered an apparent heart attack. There was nothing supernatural about that. But for some reason...it felt like that.

Misa was panicking.

"L-Light. What happened? T-this guy just collapsed." She said.

"I-I know. He seemed older. Perhaps he had a bad heart. Too much...excitement." Light said. Why did that feel wrong?

"B-but..." Misa began. And that's when Light heard it.

The sirens. The police were on there way.


	12. Chapter 12

"What? Are you sure? I understand. I'll make sure to clear a room. Goodbye." Sochiro said placing his phone back on his desk. Matsuda was sitting in a nearby chair, still recovering from the grisly crime scene.

"Matsuda. Get some coffee ready will you. Misa Amane has been found." Soichiro said.

"Ah! She has! That's great- I mean...she was found alive wasn't she?" Matsuda asked. Soichiro gave him an expression that came close to comforting.

"Of course. And get an interrogation room ready as well. We have some things to discuss with Amane-san." Soichiro said. Matsuda got up and did exactly that, his spirits lifted a bit by the survival of Miss Amane.

"...So the man who died. He was the one who kidnapped you?" Aizawa said.

"Uh huh." Misa said, taking sips from her well cream and sugar coffee in between her story, while Aizawa and Ide scrutinized her.

"And he was the same man as who killed your parent?" Aizawa asked.

"Yes. He was about to move me somewhere else, and that's when I saw my chance. I tried to fight him off and then he went down clutching his chest." Misa said. She looked thoroughly traumatized.

"I see. And the emergency call?" Aizawa asked.

"I...I made it as soon as I could. He had a cell phone on his person, so when he went down, I used that." Misa said. Aizawa scrutinized her closely.

"I see. Excuse us for a second." Aizawa said and Ide and him left.

"What do you think?" Aizawa asked.

"What do you mean? Sounds pretty clean cut to me. Piece of shit had a heart attack while he was trying to move the girl or kill her or worse. Sounds like easy paper work." Ide said.

"...I think she's not telling us something." Aizawa said.

"What are you talking about?" Ide said, lighting a cigarette. Aizawa was staring into his cup of coffee.

"Something about her story feels off. I think we should wait for the coroner's report before we shut this case." Aizawa said.

"Why's that? The girl is traumatized, so maybe she isn't telling us everything or she just forgot something. Point is, she's telling the truth. One look in her eyes would tell you that." Ide said.

"...Maybe. But isn't she an actress?" Aizawa said.

"Pft. In teen crap. And she's only had what, two roles? She's not exactly winning any rewards." Ide said. And it made sense but for some reason, Aizawa couldn't bring himself to fully believe it.

That girl...she was hiding something. And it wasn't something innocent and it wasn't some mistake. She was purposly witholding information relavant to the case. That's what Aizawa's intuition told him anyway.

The young man hadn't waited by the tv all day. He decided to instead spend it helping the local police bust up a sex trafficking ring. It was a good cause, obviously, and slightly more interesting then spending the day watching soap operas and true crime marathons. But it liked a certain challenge. It didn't quite get his heart pumping. Not like the old wars. Not like LA.

This spider case though. It had a whiff of something interesting. The aura of a challenge. A puzzle that would take longer then a cup of coffee to solve. Something that in the end, didn't feel boring or underwhelming.

"...Would you turn on the TV?" He said, his head was still buried in his laptop. Looking through reports about the Japanese Yakuza.

"Of course." The old man said and turned it to the Japanese news channel. It took about 15 minutes for anything interesting to happen.

"In Crime news, Authorities say they have found Misa Amane. The kidnapper, apparently, died of a heart attack during a struggle with the young woman. She was then able to use the culprit's cell phone to call the police. More details will be-" The anchor said, but the young man had stopped listening.

A heart attack,He thought. That was...astonishingly unlikely. He felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The uncharacteristic letter. The suspicious breaking and entering. The leaking of the matter to the press.

There was a third party involved. That was what his intuition told him. And the young man could feel his heart pumping.

When Light came to, it was the next morning. He was laying in his bed and it took him a couple moments to realize what he last remembered. He had been in Misa Amane's parent's home. And he had been standing above the body of a man with the police closing in.

Light panicked. Looking around his room, he spotted his cell phone, he was missing the disposable he had picked up for the purposes of his, "abduction" of Misa Amane. He turned on the TV in his room. The news mentioned Misa Amane, but nothing about the police searching for another culprit.

It must have been "taken care of."

Light had noticed that sometimes, when life got troublesome for him. Things would end up being, "taken care of." Light would lose some time and then an annoying dog would mysteriously disappear, or a bully would suddenly look at him with fearful or grateful eyes and avoid him, or some other obstacle would just be removed for him. Light...didn't like to think about it.

He was going to have to talk to Misa soon. See what she knew. Learn what she had told the police.

That man's heart attack was terribly inconvenient for him. Now Light was going to have to rethink his whole strategy. Still, it was one less enemy. Which was a sort of win, he supposed.


	13. Chapter 13

Light waited a couple of days to initiate contact with Misa. Surprisingly, Misa hadn't called him. So he assumed that he had told Misa not to during the time he couldn't remember. They met at one of the cafe's they frequented at Aoyama. Misa was early in fact. And was dressing down deliberately to avoid attracting too much attention. It was amazing how easily she could shift from Misa-Misa the pop idol to an anonymous young woman.

"...Are you alright?" Light asked as he sat down across from her.

"Yes. I'm...doing well." Misa said.

"How did your interrogation with the police go?" Light said.

"I think it went well. I said what you wanted me to say." Misa said.

"Could you repeat what you told them? Just to be sure we are both on the same page." Light said.

"I told them that I fought back when he was going to take me somewhere else. That he had a heart attack and that I used a phone I found on him to call the police." Misa said.

"I see...was that all?" Light asked.

"Pretty much. I told them that he was my parent's killer too." Misa said.

That was...a good story. He must have put the disposable on the man's person and then left the building before the police could arrive. Giving Misa that story to fend off the NPA's questions.

"Good work." Light said. Misa smiled for the first time since he had arrived.

"You know...Misa, you've been acting a bit odd. You feeling alright?" Light asked.

"Uh huh. Great actually. Can we...hang out again now? Like normal?" Misa said.

"Yes of course." Light said.

"...And the Spider...it's still around. We haven't dealt with it yet." Misa said, looking at her knees.

"Misa. Don't worry. We'll take care of it. You've been an excellent partner and we've already come so far. We'll just lay low for a while and start planning our next moves. If we play our cards right, I think we can resolve things with the Spider before I become a third-year student." Light said.

"Y-your a second year High School student?" Misa said looking utterly flabbergasted.

"Yeah, why?" Light said blinking.

"I-I just turned 19 this February. I-I thought you were a third year. Bu-but you have to be like 16 right?" Misa said.

"I turned 16 at the end of February. That's correct." Light said.

"Th-that's incredible! You're super smart and mature. Really good looking too. Ugh! People are going to think I'm a cradle robber if they find out." Misa said, properly freaking out at this point.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Light said, his voice as friendly and polite as usual. He was slightly annoyed but also...affectionatly so. When he first met her she had really grated on his nerves but...that was changing. She had proven to be competent, more intelligent then she seemed and he was enjoying her company.

Getting together more often shouldn't be bad.

"Ha ha -nothin, nothing!" She said dismissing his questioning look. He gave her a thoughtful look. He didn't quite want to go home yet.

"Hey. You want to spend some time hanging out today?" Light said.

"R-really? Sure. That sounds like fun." She said, her eyes lighting up.

They made a day of it. Window shopping and even visiting an arcade. It was exhausting keeping up with Misa's boundless energy, but not entirely unsatisfying.

Sayu was in the kitchen when he arrived back home, helping herself to a snack.

"You were out all day. Got yourself a special someone?" She said with a smirk.

"Not exactly. I was out with a friend." Light said.

"Sure." Sayu said, not sounding impressed.

"What about you? Where's Mom, isn't it nearly dinner?" Light said.

"Yeah. She went over to her friend's house. Something happened with her, I think. Mom wouldn't tell me anything though. Said we could order in." Sayu said. Light sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ok. Pizza sound good?" Light said/

"Sounds perfect. Mom left some money for it on the counter." Sayu said.

"Good. The usual?" Light said.

"Yep." Sayu said.

Light ordered and as he did so Sayu stared hard at the back of his head, as if by doing so she could glean some of his secrets. What the hell was he keeping from her?

The young man was once again at his computer. He had to weigh his options. On the one hand, he had plenty of assignments and potential cases from countries all over the world. However, the tantalizing prospect of investigating the Spider was at the back of his mind. He'd been enjoying being an observer, but the notion of taking a seat at the gameboard itself...

"There's a call for you." The old man said,

"...Patch it through to my laptop." The young man said. He did so and the young man used the voice changer on it.

"Yes. What is it?" The young man said.

"There's a case. One we desperately require your assistance on." Said a familiar voice. It was Scotland Yard.

"...I see. Concerning?" The young man said.

"Serial murder. We've had three deaths in three weeks. All with the same MO. I can't solve this alone." The voice said.

"I see. I can always provide you with some advice then. I was considering heading to Japan-" The young man began.

"No, We need you here. Acting as L. Wheather that be acting through Watari and your laptop or in person. This case...there's something...wrong

about it." The voice said.

"Wrong?" The young man known as L asked.

"People are thinking something...supernatural is at work. Or at least beyond known scientific explanations. I've heard you've taken cases like this before. And considering our working relationship-" The voice said.

"I see. I'll get on a plane soon. Watari will be at Scotland Yard within 48 hours." L said and then hung up.

"L, what was that about?" The old man known as Watari asked.

"We have a special case requested by Scotland Yard. You'll have to fly our private plane." L said.

"Of course."


	14. Chapter 14

It was an oddly tense dinner. Sayu seemed fairly normal. She made her usual small talk. Charmingly superficial, is how Light would describe her. Not unlike Misa Amane. But Light knew that he had left his door open. It was possible that Sayu knew he had sneaked out. And sometimes Sayu would look...strange. Thoughtful perhaps. Or like she was scrutinizing him for signs something was wrong.

"...You ok Sayu?" Light asked. He sounded casual, like it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Yeah! Of course? Why do you ask Raito?" Sayu said with a smile. She seemed perfectly normal. Except. Except he saw that flash of nerves on her face for a moment when he asked the question.

She was acting. Maybe they had something in common besides being charming and well-liked.

"It's nothing. I was just being silly. Even I can worry needlessly about my little sister, Sayu." Light said, sounding a bit relieved.

The rest of the evening passed without incident.

"...So I thought she definitely got breast implants. Hey, Raito-kun, are you listening?" Misa said. it was a couple of days later and they were again window shopping. It was peaceful. Enough so that Light got caught up in pleasant daydreams for once.

"Huh? Sorry, I zoned off for a second there." Light said.

"It's just that one of my coworkers came in at least a cup size larger recently! Probably to deliberately upstage me. I was wondering if you could tell for sure. Seeing as your a guy and you...well probably look at fake boobs a lot more than me." Misa said.

"...Do you have any photos of her recently? One with her showing a bit of cleavage." Light said. He was blushing a bit, if you asked Light a month ago if he ever thought he'd be discussing breast implants with a female friend, he'd think you had gone insane.

"Duh. I wouldn't ask if I didn't! Here." Misa said grabbing her phone and pulling up a picture of the girl in question. She was wearing a tank top that exposed plenty of her abundant cleavage. Light took about 2 seconds to come to a conclusion.

"Their fake." He said.

"I knew it! That skank! How'd you know?" Misa asked.

"There's several telltale signs. Far too spherical. The way they sit on the chest." Light said. It was amazing what boredom and the internet could teach you.

"Ah! I see. That makes sense." Misa said. Then she paused for several moments.

"It's not like I have anything against women who get breast implants. It's just...she's such a vicious person. A total bully." Misa said.

"I see. Do you think...she might harm you? To get her spot in the limelight?" Light asked. He clenched a fist.

"I don't know if she would physically harm me. Maybe. But...she would probably spread rumors about me and try to steal my roles if she thought she could get away with it." Misa said.

"...Keep me informed about any moves she might make against you." Light said. His voice was calm, but he felt angry. Misa was...precious to him. And a threat to her safety or happiness could not be allowed to exist. If she was out to ruin Misa, Light would have to ruin her.

Sayu had always noticed things. She was a lot smarter then people gave her credit for. But she had seen the burdens and strains being intelligent inflicted on you. She had seen it in Light. So she pretended. Her early successes in reading, which almost put her in the gifted programme, were seen as a fluke and she put her mind towards social success and absorbing pop culture like a sponge, while also continuing her studies in secret, reading literature and philosophy way past her supposed reading level away from prying eyes.

However, she rarely trained that laser eye on her brother. To try and see what he was hiding behind his mask of happiness and normalcy. She had noticed oddities of course, but she had dismissed them. He was her big brother, after all. He would be fine.

But it was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn't fine. And maybe never had been. He showed all the telltale signs of depression. Sure he had gone through a bit of a personal renaissance recently, but she had seen that good mood begin to fade. Again he was irritable and distant. Bored. Occasionally he would act like a completely different person.

Something wasn't right with him. And Sayu was determined to find out what it is and help him. Before the cracks became a break.


	15. Chapter 15

L didn't particularly enjoy plane rides. It's why he tried to take them as seldom as possible. Usually, he was based in England, and only left the country when the case required it. Even then, he'd not investigate crime scenes personally, besides a few cases during the Detective Wars. Instead, he viewed cases through screens, case files and information from Watari and other detectives.

It wasn't that he was terrified of them. It was simply an uncomfortable feeling.

So he distracted himself. Mostly by playing games and watching movies. He was an obsessive detective, sure, but even he knew that some work/rest balance needed to be achieved. It was a lesson learned the hard way.

Most of his lessons were hard bought, and had come at a high cost.

L's duty, as he saw it, was to minimize the costs for others.

"So L...do you truly believe this case could be..." Watari trailed off, but L knew what he meant.

"Supernatural. Possibly. I haven't seen the evidence yet. I am skeptical, but not certain one way or the other." L said.

"Perfectly logical. Although...these cases. We've had a lot of these recently." Watari said.

"Yes, we have." L opened up a bag of gummy fish and began eating them. He always started with the head.

"I've been...looking into these cases. And I'm not sure I like what I've found." Watari said.

"...I have searched just as vigorously, if not more so." L said.

"I'm wondering if this path...might be too dangerous." Watari said.

"If we all approach this with proper caution, and think things over carefully, there is no danger. Regardless of our enemy." L said.

"...Of course, L." Watari said and continued his piloting.

Fairly soon they would arrive at L's Manor. Watari helped him settle in and then took off for Scotland Yard. L had some time before he would have to conference with the police agency, so he decided to check out Misa Amane.

After taking a couple of weeks off work following her kidnapping, she went right back to it. Modeling, getting back to work on her film project and performing her pop hits. Watching her performances, one could hardly tell she had been in danger just days ago. Though for one as observant as L, there were some hints. Some signs of hesitation and nerves that weren't there. A hyper-awareness for what was happening in the crowd.

She had scars. But she was good at covering them up. At least in public. L wondered how good she would be if he was talking to her face to face.

Ah, but he forgot himself. That was not how he operated. Besides he needed to focus on the mission. Not some mildly interesting girl half a world away. But even as he closed his browser, and brought up his voice changing software, L couldn't quite take his mind off of her.

It was raining by the time Watari got to Scotland Yard. Watari was prepared for it of course. He'd lived in England too long not to be. But a strange melancholy fell over him. No, perhaps it was best to call it wistfulness. It had been raining the day he brought the boy called L to his orphanage. It had been raining the day L's childhood ended.

Watari got out of his car, pulled out his umbrella and adjusted his trench coat. He was getting sentimental in his old age, and he doubted that would do anyone any favors. So he headed inside.

There are days when Light feels...strange. Like something is crawling under his skin and at the back of his eyes, begging for escape, release or to take control. This was of course, ridiculous. The idea that Light could be controlled by some supernatural force, that he could be manipulated or changed by something outside of natures laws was...the stuff of bad science fiction or anime.

Still, he does find himself losing track of time, or waking up in his bed when last he was studying. Probably nothing, a side effect of always working and studying. It is worrying though. He didn't think it was a medical condition but Light resolved to note any possible emerging symptoms. He wasn't a hypochondriac, he was simply health aware.

Besides, that Light hadn't noticed any problems. He was perfectly healthy. Puberty had been kind to him. He hadn't gotten the obsession with sex that his peers had. This was a categorically good thing in his mind, obsessing over the opposite gender was a needless distraction.

One day though, he was listening to an audiobook. He had never gotten the point of them really, he could read the book faster then the speaker could cover a chapter. Eventually, though he realized that he could read a highschool level textbook and listen to an audiobook at the same time and absorb all of the information. He had started doing that sometimes after he came to that revelation, it slowed down his work a bit but not by much and it made homework less tedious.

During the middle of one of these study sessions, he began to notice an odd feeling. He felt a bit...warm. At first, he thought he might be coming down with something but then...he began to experience an erection. This wasn't his first of course, as a teenage boy he got them upon waking, whenever a strong wind blew past or if he just happened to be breathing a bit heavier then normal. They happened all the time. Mostly Light was irritated by them and either waited for them to pass or "take care of business".

This time though...it was genuine arousal. His first instance of genuine arousal. And he was mostly through his first year at High school.

It didn't take Light long to analyze the source of this unexpected feeling, though comprehending it took longer. This audio book didn't have the usual old scholarly man narrating it seemingly to make the material sound as boring as possible. No, instead they seemed to have a much younger man, whose voice was rich and pleasing to the ear. His voice didn't display any recognizable emotion but it wasn't dispassionate, this man seemed actually interested in the material, which was heady philosophy.

Light had never really considered the idea that he could be a homosexual. That wasn't something that would help him succeed in the modern day Japanese police force. Something like that, if revealed would bring shame to his family. But societal conventions and his families disapproval wasn't the only thing that prevented Light from seriously considering it.

It was mostly the fact that he wasn't attracted to men. Just like women's bodies were unappealing to him, men's bodies were just as uninteresting. Nor had he ever "fallen in love" with either a man or a woman, and didn't think that was even possible for him.

Then what...maybe he was just attracted to voices? That didn't make a whole lot of-

Then it occurred to him. The man was probably not a whole lot older then he was and he was talking about highly intellectual subjects with interest.

Light appeared to be attracted to Intelligence. That seemed to be the missing equation for him. A quick internet search indicated that the term for his orientation would be Sapiosexual. He thought that vaguely interesting. However, he was far too turned on to much care.

That was the first time he "pleasuring himself" was actually pleasurable and the first time he got what the big deal people made about orgasms was all about.

After Light cleaned up and finished his homework he decided that he would throw out the audio tape. Having something like that around felt...unclean and would be a temptation.

A few weeks later he woke up to find that not only had it been recovered from the trash, but a stack of more audio books had been left out. A note in his handwriting was stuck on top of one of the cases. It read,"Do not throw out."

That scared him, and Light was never scared. So he let them stay. But he didn't like to think about them or the note, the implications were...troubling.


End file.
